Snow began falling across the region early Wednesday evening. Already seasoned in the handling of winter storms, area police departments issued their parking bans an hour earlier.

The snow began falling in earnest after dark and was expected to continue through Thursday afternoon.

There were scattered reports of cars off roads about rush hour on Wednesday, but police said most people were out of work and at home by the time the streets became slick.

In Lewiston about 6:30 p.m., a man driving on Dyer Road lost control of his vehicle and struck a pole. No serious injuries were reported, but police went to the area to control traffic while repairs to the Central Maine Power Co. equipment was done.

The parking ban in Lewiston will remain in force until 10 p.m. today. Snow is expected to taper off sooner than that, but police are allowing public works crews time to clear streets.

In Auburn, police were even more pessimistic. Their parking ban remains in effect until 7 a.m. Friday. Most other city and town police departments were enacting similar parking bans through most or all of today.

By 9 p.m., snow in the Twin Cities had come to a halt. Meteorologists say the storm should stop and start several times before it’s over.

Weather forecasters are predicting between three and six inches in central Maine, and more in the western part of the state.